Sunday 7 July 2013 15.45 EDT
First published on Sunday 7 July 2013 15.45 EDT

After becoming the first British man to win Wimbledon since 1936, a still disbelieving Andy Murray said that serving for the championship against Novak Djokovic was the hardest game he will ever play.

He admitted his "head was kind of everywhere" in the topsy-turvy final game that sealed victory and made him the first men's singles winner at Wimbledon since Fred Perry.

"Winning Wimbledon is the pinnacle of tennis. I worked so hard in that last game. It's the hardest few points I've had to play in my life," Murray said. "Winning Wimbledon, I still can't believe it. Can't get my head around that. I can't believe it."

He also paid tribute to the raucous atmosphere created by the Centre Court crowd and the influence of his coach Ivan Lendl after defeating not only the world No1 in straight sets but the pressure of 77 years of history.

"It was so tough. I mean, it was so hot, as well," said Murray, who said the atmosphere was the best he had played in at Wimbledon. "And the end, mentally, that last game will be the toughest game I'll play in my career, ever."

Murray, who let three championship points slide by from 40-0 up before taking the fourth, said the crowd had helped him through a "brutal" encounter with Djokovic, full of lengthy rallies in court temperatures of up to 40 degrees. He reserved special praise for his coach, who collected eight grand slam titles but never won Wimbledon.

"For him, ideally he would have won it himself but I think this was the next best thing for him. I'm saying it seriously," said Murray, who leapt on top of the Centre Court commentary box to embrace Lendl and the rest of his team after his 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 victory.

"I think he believed in me when a lot of people didn't. He stuck by me through some tough losses in the last couple of years. He's been very patient with me."

Having laid to rest a peculiarly British obsession, Murray was also able to talk about the huge pressure he felt during the nine years since his Wimbledon debut. "It's really hard. You know, the last four or five years it's been very, very tough, very stressful, a lot of pressure. It's so hard to avoid everything because of how big this event is, but also because of the history and no Brit having won."

Murray admitted to doubts over whether he would win Wimbledon. "I didn't always think it was going to happen. It's incredibly difficult to win these events. I don't think that's well understood sometimes. It takes so much hard work, mental toughness to win these sorts of tournament."

But he said his defeat last year to Roger Federer had made things easier this time and believed the crowd were more full throated in their backing. "It really helps when the atmosphere is like that. Especially in a match as tough as that one where it's extremely hot, brutal, long rallies, tough games, they help you get through it."

After saying he had won the Championships for Lendl, for his hometown of Dunblane, for his team and even at one point for the press, Murray was asked for the key to his success. "I think I persevered. That's really been it, the story of my career. I had a lot of tough losses but the one thing I would say is that I always improved a little bit," said Murray, who lost four grand slam finals before breaking his duck at the US Open.

Djokovic, who remains world No1 was gracious in defeat. "The bottom line is that he was a better player in decisive moments," he said. "He was all over the court. He played fantastic tennis, no question about it. He deserved to win."